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NZ carbon-refining company named a top green innovator
MEDIA RELEASE
August 31, 2012
NZ’S Carbonscape Chosen as One of the World’s Top Sustainable Innovations
Carbon refining company vies for €500,000 in International Green Challenge
BLENHEIM, NEW ZEALAND: Carbon-refining company CarbonScape™ was named today as a finalist in the international Postcode Lottery Green Challenge.
This prestigious award has been presented to leaders in environmental change and innovation every year since 2007.
The Blenheim-based company headed off competition from 508 other entries from around the world to become one of 6 finalists who will present their business case to an expert jury panel in Amsterdam on September 17.
The jury will then announce the top three finalists to continue on to New York City, where the first, second and third place prizes will be announced on September 23 at a special dinner hosted by the United Postcode Lotteries in conjunction with the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting. The winning entries aren’t decided by the jury alone, but also by an online public poll. The polling site can be found at: http://www.greenchallenge.info The eventual winner will receive €500,000 (NZ$783,000) to invest in business development and the runners up, €100,000 each.
CarbonScape™ has developed patented continuous-flow microwave technology in an energy self sufficient process to convert wood and other waste into high-value Graphite, Activated Carbon (AC), and Metallurgical Coke. All products are made from renewable feed stocks and in the case of both Graphite and Coke replace fossil fuels. AC is a molecular filter used in diverse applications including water treatment and flue gas scrubbing.
The widespread introduction of CarbonScape’s™ renewable “Green Coke” to replace fossil fuels in the steel industry would significantly impact total global Green House Gas emissions.
“We’re very excited that the judges have recognised CarbonScape’s™ great potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through cradle-to-cradle resource management” comments CarbonScape™ director Nick Gerritsen. “We need the public to get behind us though to take out the top prize.
“It’s been a busy week for us because we’ve just launched CarbonScape’s™ new Facebook and Twitter campaign to take our message about transforming waste into valuable commodities, lowering carbon emissions and boosting sustainability anywhere in the world.”
In December 2010, CarbonScape™ became the first in the world to pioneer a new green technology - a one-step process to cheaply produce AC. The company has begun small-scale production at its South Island, New Zealand pilot site. It is attracting international interest in its technology, particularly from the global steel industry.
Ends
About
the Postcode Lottery Green Challenge
The Dutch
Postcode Lottery has held the Postcode Lottery Green
Challenge every year since 2007 as part of its efforts to
help make the world a greener place. The Postcode Lottery
Green Challenge is one of the world's largest competitions
for sustainable innovation. It is aimed at creative,
innovative thinkers. Environmentally friendly products and
services that reduce CO2 emissions and score highly on
design, user-friendliness and quality are eligible to
compete for the €500,000 first prize. Each entrant must
supply a detailed business plan so that an expert
preliminary jury can determine whether his or her idea is
viable. Previous winners have gone on to achieve success
with their innovative inventions, thanks in part to the
publicity and network around the Green Challenge.
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